Lilmem · Ready Time · Flashlights · Software Dev
Anduril Builder. Custom firmware for gifts and kids.

DEFCON 34 Recap

Packing List

Some things I brought along for the con:

  • Flipper Zero. Never used it.
  • Baofeng UV-5R. I thought I’d charged it before the con but I didn’t and so couldn’t use it, gah!
  • Zojirushi Thermos. Came in clutch for having hot(-ish) coffee throughout the day, especially when I was in Ham In A Day.
  • RFID protected wallet. Learned from the previous year not to let my hotel key sit naked in my bag (I wasted way too much time waiting for the hotel to help me back into my room).

Things Learned

  • I got my Technician Ham License! This was one of my childhood dreams until I was stifled by the Morse Code part of the test. But thanks to the Ham In A Day class, I’m now KO6OUJ! Thank you, Ham Radio Village!
  • Fox Hunting. Even though I wasn’t able to use my Baofeng that I brought (boo!), the generous Cat Dragon from the Ham Radio Village let mikwat and I borrow a spare radio to try hunting foxes. We had no idea what we were doing, but with some perseverance and trial and error, we learned some techniques:
    • body shielding
    • detuning
    • tightening the squelch Even though we ultimately didn’t find a fox, we learned a lot along the way, met various random folks in the journey, and just had loads of fun!
  • Meshtastic. I’d heard chatter about this online, but didn’t have a real sense of how many people were using it. I met so many folks who had radios at the con, went to talks about the technology, and then went and got myself a radio. It was a great place to get started, getting onto mesh, and listening in on the primary channel. Been playing more with Meshtastic and learning more since I’ve been back home.
  • Bruce Schneier. What a treat to attend a talk by the legend himself! I read his blog, so it was amazing to be able to see him in person. Inspiring.
  • Silent disco headphones. I thought the use of headphones were a clever way to pack more folks into the large hall without the problems with audio leaking between talks. In previous years, it was pretty common for me to have difficulty hearing speakers, so I really liked this. It was rather controversial though, as a lot of attendees, I imagine, are likely germaphobes.

Other Random Tidbits

  • “Less luck. More skill. Less Claude.”
  • I’ve never had a real handle for myself a the con, but this year I came up with one I like: fourants
  • First Friday at the Arts District at 10PM, 110 degrees, tons of kids hanging out on a summer night!
  • We never got a chance to try The Loop, every time we tried to book a car it failed. We’d get an error after putting in payment details rather than up front before the booking form: annoying!
  • Spent some time in the arcade, where I got my butt beat in Marvel Super Heroes. I had a bit of better luck at protecting the planet in Galaga instead.
  • My flight got delayed…then canceled. Ended up spending an extra night, though I was too pooped by the end to try to drop in on the closing night’s parties.